Northwest Passage Expedition – daily update 24 July

Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.

Woke up around 7:30am, then went straight for a swim in the Arctic Ocean with Mike. So much colder than day before yesterday. Real killer. The cold goes straight into your bones. No idea how it could have been feeling so much colder than Monday, because Mike & I both felt that Monday had been around freezing point. Must have been 3 or 4*C water, 15*C air with no wind, as opposed to 0*C water, 3 or 4*C air with wind today, or similar.

 

WORK AROUND THE BOAT

Morning was busy. Mike and I got some work on the boat done while Leven and Art ran some errands. We put the 55kg heavy, new battery in its place at the stern of the boat, fastened the outboard motor properly to its attachment point, disassembled, oiled and reassembled all parts of the rowing seats and put them back into position on the boat. We had been aware of a cracked seat top and an irreversibly bent aluminium part, but also discovered a missing nut which we’ll replace.

 

A WOODEN DOOR, AN ARCTIC HARE, MOSQUITOS

For our host Shawn, the team got some heavy building material like fencing and a wooden door from town and offloaded it at various locations across the property, as requested. Saw an Arctic hare. In winter they are white, but now, in summer, they look exactly like normal hares.

 

The mosquitos were relentless today, every time the wind got a tad weaker. Despite wearing plenty of maximum strength Deet, they act as if it were sugarwater, not insect repellent. They bite you through your hiking trousers or go for your head, neck, ankles, or hands and wrists.

PHOTO-SHOOT

In the early afternoon we finally managed to shoot a few pictures and videos for sponsors and with our very own expedition gin.

 

WEATHER FORECASTS, SCHEDULE, ROUTE

After that, we spent about two hours discussing the weather forecasts and how they would affect our plans. We are now expecting to put Hermione into the water this Friday, then anchor her close to the shore, then set off to sea on Tuesday in the early morning. Shawn very kindly offered that we could use his tiny motorboat to get ourselves and the remainder of our gear on board once the time came.

 

Then some more discussions about the best route to take ensued. Now looks like we’ll be going broadly along Victoria and Banks Islands’ Southern coastlines before heading straight across the Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Sea, fully exposed to anything these waters have to throw at us, before we will hopefully reach our finish line, Herschel Island.

 

From there onwards it now looks more likely that we won’t attempt to head directly to Inuvik, but instead go via ‘Tuk’  (Tuktoyaktuk) or simply go by road from there to Inuvik.

 

METALLICA PLAYED IN TUK

I still think it’s the coolest thing ever that Metallica played a concert in Tuk in the 90s. We are talking about a tiny settlement on the shore of the Northwest Passage with under 1,000 almost exclusively Inuit residents.

 

AFTERNOON WALK

In the late afternoon we got some more errands done, including more shopping. I also found time to go for a little walk, taking some pictures of Arctic chars being air-dried in little cages to prevent animals from feeding on them. Spotted a few birds, among others seagulls and a tiny little sparrow-sized spotted variety.

 

A week ago, the Bay was filled with sea ice. Karts told us he spotted dozens of seals right next to the shore. Now there is not that much that catches the eye. The tundra is a fascinating habitat, but one thing it isn’t, is varied.

 

I spotted some tiny purple dwarf fireweed and some equally purple but much larger saxifrage.

BETTER BE LUCKY

I was told that polar bears do visit our stretch of shoreline. However, when that happens, the person spotting it immediately sends the news out to everyone and efforts are put into motion to make the bear leave these populated areas or be removed. While walking unarmed across the tundra, I was hoping that that person spotting the polar bear would not be me, but someone else, with a gun.

 

My behaviour is not considered reckless here. More than half the people walking across the land or simply being outside, do not carry guns. Plenty of little children playing pretty far away from the (questionable) protection of their parents’ homes.

GRILLED PORK CHOPS FOR DINNER

I grilled 10 huge pork chops on the outside gas barbecue for the 4 of us, with pan-fried veggies on the side for some vitamins.

 

FOLK & COUNTRY MUSIC, SOVIET SUBMARINES

Over dinner, banter ensued and stories were shared. The main takeaways: Leven once played guitar in front of 30,000 people. The folk band he used to be a part of, had been asked to write a tune for a football team. Unexpectedly the band was asked on short notice if they’d like to perform it live before the final match of the season inside the stadium.

 

Art used to manage an A-list country singer for many years. More importantly, he spent many months on submarines, as surveillance expert, tracking Soviet submarines, while at the U.S. Navy. He never attempted to become an official part of a submarine crew, as “it’s too many tight spaces”, so was classified as an outside “rider”.

 

MORE BEARS & STORMS

Art also told us more about his Yukon Expedition, like when he came within a few feet (2m) of an angry grizzly. Leven shared some mind-boggling stories from violent storms he had encountered during the 6 Atlantic crossings he’s done so far.

 

MIKE’S & MY STORIES

Mike, who must have a million stories from his time with the Royal Marines, is currently still holding back. I’ve actually got some great stories about cycling in Berkshire and swimming in my local pool, but decided it will be for another day.

 

SHAWN’S STORIES

Later that evening, Shawn, our host, stopped by again and shared some fascinating stories about some amazing adventurers I’ve been following on social media but never met in person. He also showed us a few pictures of the likes of the Arctic Cowboys (first to cross the Northwest Passage by kayak) and Matty Clarke (attempt to row the Passage, so far without success).

  

WHO DOESN’T LOVE PEMMICAN

They all posed for pictures with Shawn right in front of the cabin where we are staying. Matty left some pemmican (old-style ultra-high calorie food mix made of tallow, dried meat, and sometimes additionally dried berries), he no longer needed, for Shawn. We took up Shawn on the offer that we could take some of it with us to sea.

For tomorrow’s post click here.

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE EXPEDITION

 

22 July – LHR to YCB

2 August 2024 (Cambridge Bay to Starvation Bay)

4 August 2024 (Starvation Bay to Wellington Bay)

12 August 2024 (From Wellington Bay 6h further Westward)

15 August 2024 (53mi/96km from Botany Island to Richardson Islands)

18 August 2024 (from Richardson Islands past Marker Islands)

22 August 2024 (23mi/37km Westward from Miles and Nauyan Islands past Lady Franklin Point – extremely tough conditions – ‘MISSION IMPOSSIBLE’)

23 August 2024 (Dreadful 10 miles – 12mi/19km – that felt like 100 miles to Douglas Island; welcome committee of two dozen seals)

25 August 2024 (An easy 19mi/31km from Douglas Island to Lambert Island; MS Fridtjoff Nansen passing)

27 August 2024 (An easy 7mi/9km along Lambert Island; yacht Night Owl passing by us)

28 August 2024 (STARTING OUR 64MI/104KM PUSH EARLY; passing Hanseatic Spirit, MS Roald Amundsen, yacht Honshu)

29 August 2024 (Arriving at Cape Hope after 64mi/104km – new team best)

30 August 2024 (EMERGENCY BEACHING at a bay next to Cape Hope)

31 August 2024 (CABIN FLOODED; LEAK FOUND)

Mike’s Poem about our Northwest Passage Expedition

3 September 2024 (REPAIRING HERMIONE)

DETAILS OF LEVEN’S MASTERPIECE: THE PRELIMINARY REPAIR and preparation of the re-launch of Hermione

4 September 2024 (A LOT OF DIGGING and another unsuccessful attempt to refloat the boat)

5 September 2024 (REFLOATING HERMIONE, MOTORING TOWARDS PAULATUK; MILITARY PLANE PASSING)

6 September 2024  (BACK TO ROWING AFTER EMERGENCY MOTOR BREAKS)

8 September 2024 (my 50th birthday; ALMOST CRASHING THE BOAT into rocks; Skynet; a pod of whales)

12 September 2024 (starting our last big push before Paulatuk; RUNNING AGROUND 3X; BIOLUMINESCENCE; Northern lights)

13 September 2024 (ALL HELL BREAKING LOOSE – ALMOST CRASHING INTO CLIFFS)

NORTHERN LIGHTS, 15 September, near Paulatuk

15 September 2024 (REACHING PAULATUK)

16 September 2024 (eating proper food; shower; the good life)

19 September 2024 (flying back home; 5 flights; Breakfast Club at Inuvik Airport)

Stefan will be rowing the Northwest Passage this summer – A little Q&A

Northwest Passage Expedition – Kit List

Trevor’s Travel Trivia IX – The Northwest Passage

My home town’s newspaper, Burghauser Anzeiger, has published an article about the Expedition

Post-expedition Q&As – Coming back from the Arctic after two months

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2 Comments

  1. Mosquitos reminds me of a letter from Charles Osmer, Purser on Sir John Franklin’s last expedition to complete a NW Passage in 1845. He writes to his wife (from Greenland): “swarms of mosquitoes as large, I was going to say, Eagles, as a blue bottle fly they stung us through our trowsers” Extract from “May we be Spared to meet on Earth: Letters of the lost Franklin Arctic Expedition” edited by Russell A. Potter, Regina Koellner, Peter Carney & Mary Williamson

    1. Wow, that’s such an interesting insight, and seems like the mosquitos have not changed after all these years. Thank you for leaving a comment, Mary. 🙂

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